Chapter 9
Suggestion
The instant Rhyne felt he was free to leave, he bid Andy goodbye to let the man know he was gone for the night, grabbed his bike, and rushed over to the hospital after a quick detour to the house to grab the backpack of empties.
He was surprised to find Norris sitting on the sidewalk in front of the emergency room entrance, instead of near the rear exit where he usually met him.
“Hey. Thanks for waiting.”
Norris shook his head. “Before you ask, I didn’t have the chance to look up your mysterious donor.
” He picked up the backpack sitting beside him and held it out to Rhyne.
Rhyne glanced around to make sure no one was watching and that they were out of view of the security cameras.
Although he knew Norris wouldn’t make that kind of mistake, he double-checked anyway for safety’s sake.
He was also aware that the man had placed himself in front of a small hedge to partially hide their handoff.
The chances that someone would report them as suspicious activity this late at night were slim but never zero.
Rhyne gave him his identical backpack that held the fully flushed bags and shrugged the loaded one over his shoulders.
“But I discovered another AB neg sitting in the cooler,” the man added.
“Just one?”
“Yeah. It was dated yesterday. But get this. I noticed it had the same ID number as the bag you gave me this afternoon.”
Rhyne tried to hold in his excitement. “Are you sure it’s the same ID? The same person?”
“Ninety-nine percent sure. I won’t guarantee a hundred percent until I can verify it through the computer.”
“And it’s the only AB neg you have?” Rhyne stated.
The guy nodded. “There’s just the one bag in there, which more than likely tells me there’s only one donor with that blood type in this area.”
“Or maybe there was more of that blood type but it got used or shipped off,” Rhyne suggested.
“Nope. No way,” Norris denied. “I handle all shipments. None of that blood type’s been sent out, or even requested.
At least, not during one of my shifts.” He narrowed his eyes at Rhyne.
“I’ve never seen you guys so interested in a particular type before.
Is this something new that I need to know about? ”
Rhyne bypassed the question with one of his own. “The only people who can receive AB neg are those who are also AB neg and AB positive, correct? Tell me if I’m wrong.”
“You’re correct. Only other AB negative and those who are AB positive can receive that blood type,” Norris concurred.
“Which means you either have an AB neg or an AB positive patient here at the hospital who needed a transfusion, right?”
“That would have to be the case. Just not in this instance.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was old blood, so I had to dump it.”
Rhyne felt a chill go through him. “You…dumped the blood?”
“Yeah. It’s common protocol. Just like in grocery stores.
Anything over its past-due date has to be dumped.
I found that particular bag I gave you yesterday in the far back of the fridge, behind some O negative.
Someone must’ve placed it there by accident.
Anyway, since it was almost nine weeks old, I dumped the contents first before adding the bag to your stash. ”
“Wait a minute.” Rhyne held up a hand. “You dumped an entire bag of blood, only to give me the empty bag? Why the hell wouldn’t you go ahead and give me the full bag?”
“I probably would have, but I had a supervisor looking over my shoulder at the time. I couldn’t afford to have him question me.”
“Okay. So how often do you think the hospital gets a patient with that blood type?”
“Rarely,” Norris admitted.
“And drawn blood can only be kept in refrigeration for…”
“Hospital policy is two weeks. If no one requires it after that time, or there’s no call for it from another hospital, we dump it.”
Rhyne stared at him as he tried to keep the silly ass grin off his face.
He already knew there were “norms” when it came to handling blood and plasma, and that every hospital had its own rules it followed regarding disposal.
Although nearly a hundred percent of blood donations were used within a short amount of time after collection, those of the ultra-rare types like AB neg were often trashed due to lack of need.
The irony was indisputable. The rarer the blood type, the less call there was for it. Which in turn, creates a dilemma for those individuals who need it but can’t find it due to limited stock.
In short, the mysterious donor was giving blood that may never be utilized, but would continue to do so because there could be a need sometime in the near future. Maybe.
Distant approaching headlights brought their conversation to a halt, and Rhyne perched himself on the seat. “Thanks again, Norris. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Hey.” The young man got to his feet. “One of these days, will you tell me about…you know?”
“Sure,” Rhyne promised, knowing he’d never keep his word. Not that he didn’t want to, but because if it ever got out that his kind truly existed, there’d be more than hell to pay. Norris knew too much already. But if he was ever pressed about the issue, he’d have zero evidence to back his word.
Giving the guy a little salute, Rhyne turned around to get back on the sidewalk and return home where the others were waiting for him. When he eventually arrived at the house, he discovered Nash had fixed supper.
“We left you your portion in the fridge,” the man informed him.
“What did ja get for us this time?” Welsh asked as he and Nash joined him in the kitchen as Rhyne unpacked the backpack. “Oh, and what was so important that you refused my offer to go get the bags?”
Rhyne understood what his roomie was insinuating. He also knew both men could spot a lie from a mile away.
“I wanted to ask him about the AB negative blood bag we’d received. I wanted to know if there was more.”
“And?” Welsh urged. “What did Norris say?”
Rhyne stared up at them. “He’s been dumping some of the blood from the bags before he lets us have them.” The reaction he’d expected to see mirrored his own when Norris had told him.
“He’s dumping the blood?” Nash exclaimed. “Why? He knows we need the nutrients! Why the fuck is he emptying the bags first?”
“He said it was because he had a supervisor peering over his shoulder, making sure he followed protocol.”
“What happens when the supervisor isn’t around? Is he still gonna get rid of perfectly good blood?” Welsh demanded.
“He doesn’t know it’s still okay for us to have,” Rhyne argued.
“So why didn’t you tell him to let us have the whole bag anyway?” Nash added.
“I did, just not in those words,” Rhyne admitted. “But I think he got that impression. I couldn’t go into detail. A car was coming up the drive, so I had to cut our conversation short.”
A glance inside the fridge revealed a large slab of raw meat sitting on a plate. From the scent coming off it, he knew it was venison.
“That smells delicious.” Taking it out, he set it on the counter next to the stove. For some reason he couldn’t fathom, Welsh snickered as the two men grabbed a blood bag.
Rhyne knew his roomies liked to eat their meat au tartar.
He, on the other hand, liked it lightly seared on both sides, sealing in and warming up the red juices without actually cooking it.
He added some of the canned green beans Nash had dumped in a pot on the stove and joined the others at the dining room table.
Several minutes passed as they enjoyed their repast in silent companionship, until Nash brought up the subject.
“You know, maybe it’s time we think about moving on. How long have we been here now? Seven years?”
“It’ll be seven years come January,” Rhyne informed him. “By the way, this deer meat is terrific.”
“Thanks.”
No one asked how he’d obtained it, but it was a great perk, since he worked at the meat packing plant down by the river. Nash tried to bring home something at least once a week. Usually cuts that were normally disposed of.
“So how do you two feel about us giving the landlord our thirty day and moving on?” Nash suggested, changing the topic.
“I’d kind of like to stay on a bit longer,” Rhyne confessed.
Welsh snorted. “Why? ‘Cuz you want more of that AB neg?”
“Hey, we’ve stayed longer at other places,” Rhyne reminded them. “And sometimes for no legitimate reason whatsoever.”
Welsh sucked the last drops from his bag. Getting to his feet, he ambled over to the now empty backpack Rhyne had stashed by the back door and dropped it inside. “Well, to be honest, I’d like to stay a bit longer myself.”
“Why?” Nash inquired.
A grin Rhyne and Nash were familiar with spread over the man’s face.
“I sorta ran into this woman at the market today, and, boy, did she have the most delicious smell.”
Rhyne sat up in his chair. “Welsh, we’ve talked about this sort of thing before.”
“I know, I know.” Welsh raised a hand to stop him from saying more. “But she smelled so fucking good. What would it hurt for me to ask her out on a date or something?”
“Just a date?” Nash pressed.
The man held up both hands. “Just a date. No harm, no foul.” He sighed and the smile widened. “I would be happy just sitting downwind from her and inhaling her fragrance all night long.”
“Do you even know who the woman is?” Rhyne asked with a chuckle.
“Personally? No. Never met her before until today. But I know her name and where she works,” Welsh answered. “I thought I could go by there tomorrow.”
“Oh? And where does she work?” Nash questioned, snickering.
“Over at the Harbor County Hospital,” Welsh replied. “Cute chick. And reeeal sexy smelling.” He threw them both a wink. “And if you’re expecting me to let me tell you her name, for…get…it. I got dibs on her first.” Not wanting to say anything more, Welsh strolled out of the kitchen.
Rhyne followed him with his eyes. For some reason, a chill had just gone up his spine before it settled like a dark, amorphous shape in the pit of his stomach.
Unable to finish his meal, he took the remains over to the garbage can, then placed the dish and utensils in the sink to wash later. As much as he wanted to brush off Welsh’s remarks, he couldn’t. And that’s what bothered him for the rest of the night.